Female Soldier in the Civil War
Frances Louisa Clalin was born in Illinois in the 1830s. She later married Ohio native Elmer Clayton, with whom she would have three children. They had a farm in Minnesota, and before the Civil War, Frances was a housewife.
Frances Clalin Clayton
AKA Jack Williams
The Civil War
At the beginning of the Civil War, Frances Clayton disguised herself as a man and, using the pseudonym Jack Williams, enlisted in the Union Army with her husband during the fall of 1861. It was not difficult for Frances to convincingly play the part of a man. She was tall and masculine, and had tan skin. Presumably, she enlisted to be with her husband.
Frances is known to have fought in the Battle of Fort Donelson in Tennessee, February 13, 1862, where the Union won the contest after three days of fighting. Elmer and Frances served side by side until the Battle of Stones River on December 31, 1862. Elmer was only a few feet in front of Frances when he was killed, but she did not stop fighting.
Frances was later wounded in the hip in that same battle. Her true identify was discovered when she entered the hospital, and she was discharged from the Union Army on January 2, 1863.
Frances was on a train home when it was attacked by guerrillas. She was robbed of her papers, and decided to re-enlist. To better conceal her sex, Frances took up all the manly vices. She learned to drink, smoke, chew, and swear, and was especially fond of cigars. She even gambled, and a fellow soldier declared that he had played poker with her on a number of occasions.
Once back in the army, Frances stood guard, went on picket duty and fought in the field with the rest of her comrades. She was reported to be a good horseman and swordsman, and the way she carried herself in stride was soldierly, erect, and masculine. She was well trained and knew her duties well, and was a respected person who commanded attention in the way she acted.
After being discharged from the army, Frances went back to Minnesota to collect the bounty owed her deceased husband and herself, as well as to get some of Elmer's belongings. She then went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and on to her home in Quincy, Illinois.
The information about Frances Clalin Clayton has become so jumbled that it is impossible to state with certainty what actually happened to her. But she obviously served in the Union Army at some point, and deserves to be acknowledged for her contribution to the war.
